With the summer holidays disappearing around the corner, it is time to get settled into the new school year. Start this year strong! There are so many different methods to increase your productivity and keep yourself motivated, whether it be set out on YouTube, a blog, or an academic journal. Find the ones that work for you, and stick to them!
Here are some of our top tips for going back to school:
- Get organised and plan ahead.
Staying organised and planning ahead is a skill that you can apply to all areas of your life, not just in academics. This can range from having a physical planner to keeping track of things on an app on your phone. Whatever platform you use, make sure to use it to keep track of homework, tests, projects, key dates, and even things outside of school like birthdays and holidays!
2. Start small and start early.
This applies best to projects, homework, and exams — the bigger academic hurdles. Mark those big dates down and start working towards it. Another way to be organised in your studying or working is to set small goals for yourself. In a week, you’ll finish making notes for this chapter of the textbook. It may not look like much when you set aside 30 minutes a day to revise for an upcoming exam, but a little goes a long way! This works especially well for exams because the earlier you start studying, the better the material sticks in your brain. Shift those math formulas into your long-term memory for a better grade!
3. Find a routine that works.
With school in your lives, you probably wake up and go to bed at similar times every day. Keep that routine throughout the week, that way you don’t disrupt your sleep cycle and you will feel the effects of a good night’s sleep. Finding a routine also applies to your after-school activities. Do you take an hour of rest before finishing off your work, then spend the rest of the time chilling? How much work do you usually have? If you have more, stagger your work with small break intervals to ensure you don’t accidentally get sucked into the YouTube recommended videos vortex.
4. Create and find study spaces.
You may have heard of creating a distraction-free zone before. This is your study space at home. Whether it be your own desk or your own corner of the living room, make sure you have an area that is designated to your studying (and only that) when it comes time to work. Clear away any distractions! If a messy desk bothers you, keep the surface empty and just have the essentials: pen/pencil, paper, laptop, water — whatever you need. Now for the hardest part: take your phone (or any other distraction like an electronic device or a book) and put it away. “Put it away” is subjective to how far “away” you need the device to be. Some people find they can leave it in a drawer, others put it in another room. If you really can’t be trusted, give it to someone while you work.
Finding study spaces is a little different. It is normal to be restless after staying in your study space for too long, so finding study spaces is a way for you to combat that. Find a place that works for you: a cafe, a library, a park. You can change it up! Just make sure that essentially, you are still retaining the key part of a study space: no distractions.
5. Get involved with something.
School can get tiresome with just academics on your mind. Why not get involved in something outside of studying? This can be an extra-curricular in school like a club or a sports team, or it could be something completely outside of school like volunteering part-time. Getting involved with something outside of academics brings a little bit of life back into you and helps you remember that there is more out there than just homework and grades.
These are just some examples of great studying and productivity tips to change your year! Let us know what works for you and what doesn’t — we’d love to hear from you. If you would like to learn more about us and our work, get in touch with us via LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter or email us at info@uptree.co. We look forward to hearing from you!
